Okay, so here it is exclusive to THE iZINE, the first 'Net preview of five tracks from Madonna' s long-awaited forthcoming album, produced by English ambient and ethereal genius, William Orbit. While there's no working title our sources suggest it may be called Ray Of Light after one of the tracks on the album.
Spooky opening. All ethereal airs opening onto a gorgeous slow vocal before breaking into an equally slow beat that builds easily on a stuttering pattern before a guitar picks in Substitute For Love which opens into a backbeat kicked dubby groove. Madonna's singing is extraordinary: beautifully phrased, no over-reaching, pure and emotive. Orbit's production is marvellous as he drops a rain of mixed back damples through the backdrop before , almost from nowhere, big, fat electric guitars drop into the mix and the whole thing metamorphoses into a rock song. Whoa. Madonna rocks. Madonna with guitars. William Orbit, you are genius, sir. And Madonna? She pulls the whole thing off perfectly.
And you ain't heard nothing yet. Guitars splash the intro of Ray Of Light which smacks into a techno burst and big Madonna vocal that's not only graceful but strangely reminsicent of Kylie Minogue on her self-titled 1995 set. The chorus is a stomper with a barrage of oozy samples and phased U2-style guitar all of which hits back even harder in the second verse building into a massive wig-out where synths set the controls for the heart of the sun; then just as suddenly it drops right away. Quite extraordinary.
Least impressive of the tracks heard. Not that there's anything wrong with it. More it's slightly predictable and typical Material Girl. A big ballad that drops into pop Madonna and features a jazz center with some lovely tinkling keys. Professional.
Earmarked as the first single from the album, Frozen opens on strings before breaking into one of those glorious vocals that just oozes sensuality and atmosphere. The song folds back on itself with with kettle drums echoing and a string-blissed centre. In fact the whole song is quite cinematic. Left of Justify My Love, Frozen is a dead cert for the top and also just beautiful.
"There's no greater power than the power of goodbye" sings Ciccone over a slightly skipping, twisting beat and a vocal that again is vintage Madonna. The middle is lonely guitars falling into a bed of strings. Gorgeous stuff.
Two things dominate first impressions. William Orbit's production moves Madonna into new territory yet at the same time takes her back to her classic Like A Prayer album. His use of guitars - something rare in Madonna music - is particularly impressive as is his ability to bend the kind of atmospheres he creates on his Strange Cargo albums through the backdrop. Orbit is a subtle producer who knows that over emphasising samples works against Madonna's natural voice so instead he lets her sing rather than squawk (as in she did in Evita when you could hear her reaching for the high notes) and builds the atmosphere under and around her. That leads to the second impression: simply, how well Madonna can sing when given a sympathetic environment to sing in. If the entire album sustains the quality of these tracks it'll be the best Madonna set in nearly a decade.
The album is released March 2, 1998.
